Abandoned puppies rescued by local police

A Santa Pola resident has been cautioned by the Policia Local for the mistreatment of a dozen adult dogs and a further ten puppies, which were kept without food, in a yard in Pla de la Vallonga to the east of Alicante, in the full heat of the sun and in unhygienic conditions.

The Department of Animal Protection in Alicante city is now preparing a formal complaint in which he is accused of “crime of the gross mistreatment of animals”, with fines ranging between 400 and 6,000 euros. “We are going to ask for the maximum”, said the Councillor for Animal Protection, Marisa Gayo, who accompanied the Canine Police throughout the rescue operation, after being alerted by a local resident.

As one of the dogs was chipped the agents were able to trace the owner of the animals to Santa Pola where they advised him that the animals had been placed in care.

The dogs, almost all bred for hunting, were German Breton and braco. All of them were infected with fleas and ticks and were found in “filthy conditions that showed they had been abandoned for a long time,” said the councillor.

The municipal officials say they have evidence from a resident that the police had already been alerted of the yard, and the abandoned dogs, previously.

As they arrived at the yard the agents could only gain access by breaking the padlocks. They quickly realised that the enclosure contained both adult dogs and a number of puppies because of the defensive actions of the female dogs as they entered the compound.

Four of the puppies were less than three weeks old and still to open their eyes. Another six puppies were then located in similar conditions but were found to be infested by fleas and ticks.

Councillor Gayo praised the work of the Police Canine Unit which remained in the compound for over four hours calming the dogs and the puppies which were terrified and with evident signs of stress.